Bit Assemblies for Road Milling Mining and Trenching Equipment

ABSTRACT

An improved bit assembly for road milling, mining and trenching equipment includes a streamlined tip assembly that is a combination of conical and cylindrical in shape and devoid of protrusions or annular indentations that might impede the flow of removed material over and around the bit assembly or provide space for removed material to become clogged or imbedded on the tip assembly. The generally cylindrical hollow shank that mounts the bit holder to the bit block includes at least one axially aligned slot along its side wall that allows the side wall to supply radial force to maintain the bit holder in the bit block.

This invention relates generally to road surface removal orreclaimer-stabilizer equipment and mining equipment and moreparticularly to bit assemblies including bits, bit holders and bitblocks that are more efficient in their cutting and passage of the cutmaterial around the bit assembly. This application is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 11/509,349, filed Aug. 24, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,155,which was a Division of Ser. No. 10/770,232, filed Feb. 2, 2004 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,358, which was a Division of Ser. No.09/825,601, filed Apr. 4, 2001 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,273;which is a Continuation-in-Part of Ser. No. 09/500,983 filed Feb. 15,2000 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,567. The contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bit assemblies are utilized in road, off-road and mining machinery onthe perimeter and across the width of a rotary drum or on the outside ofa continuous chain or the like where the bits are moved through an orbitwhich is intercepted by the face of the material being removed orrecycled. Road milling equipment removes the defective surface of a roadand smoothes the top of all or selected portions of the road surface.The bits utilized include a tip and a shank. The shank is received andmay axially rotate in a bit holder which is secured onto a bit blockthat, in turn, is mounted on the drum. Each of the bits has a hardenedtip, preferably made of tungsten carbide or such other hardened materialthat acts to remove a portion of the surface it contacts. By using asufficient number of these bits around the outer surface of a rotatingdrum, a large amount of surface may be worked.

-   -   a. The bit assembly including the bit, bit holder and bit block,        act on the portion of the surface it is removing to separate        that surface from the underlayment and as the drum rotates,        passed that surface over the outside of the bit assembly. The        milling of concrete and macadam surfaces required a substantial        power output to operate the drum or continuous chain or the        like. With the use of such a substantial power output to operate        the heavy milling machinery, a need has developed to provide a        more efficient bit assembly that utilizes less power to perform        the same function as machines fitted with prior art bit        assemblies.

In O'Neill et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,455, a substantially frustoconicalbit is mounted upon a block that provides a large mostly flat forwardleading surface that impedes the flow of macadam or concrete therearoundand provides a barrier to movement of the bit on additional portions ofthe surface to be milled.

Additionally, a need has developed for providing ease of removability ofbit holders in their bit blocks, especially when portions of or all ofthe assembly becomes worn and in need of replacement. U.S. Pat. No.5,374,111 discloses an undercut flange at the bottom of a base of a bitthat allows a pry bar to be wedged between that flange and the top ofthe bit block to help remove a bit from the bit block. It would bedesirable to provide more efficient means and multiple means forallowing the removal of a bit holder from a bit block. Additionally,heretofore known bit holders have been retained in bit blocks by the useof threaded nuts or retainer rings. A need has developed to providemeans to mount the shank portion of a bit holder in a bit block withoutthe need of a fastener on the distal end of the bit holder shank toretain same in the bit block.

Further, a need has developed for a truly quick-change type of bitholder that may easily and quickly be inserted in the bit block andremoved therefrom.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention, generally stated,to provide an improved means for quickly mounting and/or removing a bitholder from its associated bit block.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a moreefficient bit assembly that requires less power to run when mounted onroad milling equipment than heretofore known bit assemblies whileproviding longer lasting useful life of operation.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of multiplemeans for retaining a bit holder in a bit block by means of a resilientinterference fit between the holder and the block.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an easilymounted tool on the bit holder that facilitates the removal of the bitholder from the bit block at the front of the leading surface of the bitholder without the need for a large amount of access to the rear of thebit block.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the attached claims. The invention maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals referto like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational exploded view of a bit assembly constructedin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view with certain modificationstaken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with the items of FIG. 1shown in mounted position on each other;

FIG. 3 is a bottom ¾ perspective view of a second embodiment of theinvention showing a bit holder mounted in a bit block;

FIG. 4 is a top ¾ end perspective view of the second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a front ¾ perspective view of the second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is an upper side perspective view of the second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a third embodiment of a bit holder of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the third embodiment bit holder ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a front end elevational view of the third embodiment of thebit holder of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a fourth embodiment of a bit holder of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is a front end elevational view of the fourth embodiment of abit holder of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of a tool to facilitate removal of abit holder from a bit block;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing a secondembodiment of the plunger of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a bit, bit holder and bit block assembly, generallyindicated at 15, constructed in accordance with the present invention,includes a bit, generally indicated at 16 and a spacer, generallyindicated at 17, together with a bit holder, generally indicated at 18and a bit block, generally indicated at 20.

The bit 16 includes a hardened tip 21, usually made of tungsten carbide.The base of tungsten carbide tip 21 (not shown) resides in a pocket (notshown) in the front face 22 of a frustoconical forward portion 23 of bit16. At the rear of the frustoconical portion 23 is a cylindrical frontportion base 24. In this embodiment, the cylindrical base 24 performs afunction which is analogous to prior art known as a “tire portion” ofthe bit because in that prior art the outside of the base portion has arounded shape similar to the outside of a donut or tire. Aft of thecylindrical base 24, the tip narrows to a cylindrical shank 25, which,in this embodiment, includes a C-shaped retainer 26 therearound and acylindrical shank portion base 27 defining the rear end of the bit.

The spacer 17 is shaped similarly to the shank portion 25-27 of bit 16in that it includes opposed cylindrical ends 28, 30 and a slightlynarrowed cylindrical shank portion 31 mounted therebetween having aC-shaped retainer 32 positioned therearound. At the outside of theopposed cylindrical end 30 is a spherical indent 33 whose purpose willbe discussed in more detail below.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the bit holder, generallyindicated at 18, is termed a bulbous shaped bit holder as the frontgenerally conical portion includes a middle section having a convexoutline. The leading portion of the generally conical front section ofbit holder 18 includes a cylindrical nose 34, having a flat annular face35 from which a central bore 36 extends axially all the way through thebit holder. A plurality of notches 37-37 (one shown) adjacent the frontface 35 of the bit holder, provide an access area to the cylindricalbase 24 of the tip 16 into which a prying tool may be positioned toforce out the base 24 of the bit 16 when the bit shank 25 and spacer 17are mounted in the bore 36 of the bit holder 18. Rearwardly adjacent thenose 34 is the bulbous portion 38 of the generally frustoconical frontsection of the bit holder 18. Rearwardly of the bulbous section 38 isthe cylindrical base 40 which performs a similar function in the bitholder 18 that the cylindrical base 24 performs in the bit 16.

Aft of the base 40 of the conical front portion of bit holder 18 is theshank 41. The shank portion 41 includes an upper shoulder 42 which isslightly larger diameter than the middle shank portion 41, and a secondenlarged portion 42 of shank 41 immediately adjacent the distal end 43thereof. A slot, whose forward end is indicated at 44 extends from theend of upper shoulder portion 42 through the distal end 43 of the shank41 thus providing a C-shape for the perimeter of the shank 41 allowingit to expand and contract diametrically for a force fit into the bitblock, generally indicated at 20. A pin 45 is mounted in a bore 46 180degrees around shank 41 from the slot 44. The pin 45 assures that thespacer 17 will not fall out of the bottom of bit holder bore 36 in thebit holder 18 when it is mounted therein.

In another important aspect of the present invention, the bit block 20includes a base mounting portion 47 having a base 48 which is mountableon the outside of a drum (not shown) which is a part of road millingequipment. The front or leading portion of the mounting section 47includes a pair of rearwardly angled shoulders 50-50 (only one shown).Adjacent the mounting section 47 which holds the bit block on the drumis a generally annular cylindrical bit holder mounting portion 51 havinga central bore 52 positioned therethrough from a top surface 53 to abottom distal portion 54 of the bit block 20. Adjacent the bottomportion 54 and opposite the mounting portion 47 is a slot 55 whichincreases the accessibility of a tool to the rear of the bit block andinto the bore 52 of the bit block 20 at the rear 54 thereof. Also,immediately above slot 55 is a cylindrical bore 56 which may have a pin(shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 at 56 a). Pin 56 a extends into the slot 44 ofthe bit holder, thus preventing rotation of same when mounted in the bitblock. As is evident from the exploded view, the shank portion 41 of thebit holder 18 is press fit into the bore 52 of the bit block 20 andretained therein. Further, the spacer 17 and the shank portion 25 of bit16 are mountable through the front end 35 of the bit holder 18 and areretained therein by C-shaped retainers 26 and 32. Additionally, thespacer is retained in its mounted position by pin 45.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mounting relation between the bit block 20, bitholder 18, spacer 17 and bit 16 is shown in cross section. FIG. 2 ismodified from a straight cross section of the assembly as shown in FIG.1 in that the slot 44 of bit holder 18 and the slot 55 of bit block 20are not seen so that the mounting relation between the bit block and bitholder may be shown in more detail. Additionally, the upper shoulder 42of the bit holder is not shown so that the relationship between thelower shoulder 42 a and the bit block bore 52 may be shown.

As is shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the lower raised shoulder 42 a ofthe shank portion 41 of the bit holder 18 is press fit into the bore 52of bit block 20. The press fit between the two is on the order of fourtimes the ordinary press fit between a cylindrical male member and anannular bore because the C-shape cross section of the shank is resilientwith the addition of slot 44 therein. This allows the lower shoulder 42a to be positioned in bore 52 with such a substantial press fit thatneither a retaining nut nor retaining ring is necessary to maintain thebit holder in the bit block. However, because of vibration and potentialrotation of the bit holder in the bit block, a pin 56 a (FIG. 5) ismounted through bore 56 into the slot 44 (FIG. 1) of the bit holdershank in order to maintain the bit holder and bit block in correctnon-rotating mounted orientation. As additionally shown in FIG. 2, thebit 16 and spacer 17 are mounted in the central bore 36 of bit holder 18and retained therein by C-shaped retainer clips 26 and 32. As shown mostclearly in FIG. 2, the semi-cylindrical indent 33 in the spacer 17provides for the insertion of a tool through the backside of bore 36which will accommodate punching out the spacer 17 and the bit 16 fromthe back of the assembly.

As also shown most clearly in FIG. 2, in an important aspect of thepresent invention, the profile of the bit, bit holder and bit blockmaintains either a cylindrical outline or a conical outline although theconical outline may be slightly concave or convex also, to provide asmooth efficient aerodynamic outer surface which in this case does nothave air passing by it, but has macadam or concrete passing by it. Thissmooth outer surface of the bit 16, bit holder 18 and bit block 20 alsobenefits from the opposed shoulders 50 at the leading surface of the bitblock 20. The aim in providing this efficient aerodynamic profile is toboth provide longer life for the assembly and the portions thereof, andto provide for more efficient separation of the macadam or concrete andpassage of same by the assembly, thus requiring less power to run theroad milling equipment and also providing longer life for the assembly15 when performing its function. Generally, the lack of sharp edges andthe lack of cylindrical outcroppings along the surface, or indents alongthe surface, provide fewer areas for macadam or concrete to sharplyimpact the surface or become imbedded thereon, thus assuring a moreefficient and longer work life for the assembly 15 and the partsthereof.

-   -   a. In operation, prior art road milling bit, bit holder and bit        block assemblies normally operate for between three and four        hundred hours before the parts wear out or a failure occurs in        at least one part of the assembly. Applicant's bit, bit holder        and bit block assembly have been operated for more than 1000        hours without serious deterioration of the assembly or failure        of parts thereof. Also, the use of the assembly 15 of the        present invention on road milling equipment has provided a        milling system which consumes less gasoline per hour to operate.        While gas consumption of the road milling equipment varies        depending on depth of cut, temperature, surface to be milled,        etc., over a long period of time, it is believed that the bit        assembly of the invention yields about a 10 percent improvement        over prior art bit assemblies.

Referring to FIGS. 3-6, a second embodiment of the present invention isshown utilizing the bit block 20 of the first embodiment together with aconcave style bit holder, generally indicated at 60. Bit holder 60differs from bit holder 18 not only in that it is concave in its conicalleading portion, but also because it has a hardened annular insert 61preferably made of tungsten carbide positioned at its leading surface.Since the hardened insert 61 extends towards the outside of the concave,but generally conical forward surface 62 of the front portion of bitholder 60 to provide structural strength, there are no notches in theconcave surface 62. With this embodiment, the bit 16 (not shown) wouldbe driven out of the bit holder 60 for replacement by inserting a rod totool (not shown) in the bottom of bore 63 of the bit holder (shown mostclearly in FIG. 3) until it is stopped by semi-spherical indent 33 ofspacer 17 (FIG. 2) where a hammer struck on the end of the tool willdrive the bit 16 outwardly of the bit holder 60. The use of a hardenedinsert 61 has been shown to increase the work life of the bit holder 60by providing a tougher mounting for the bit 16 in the bit holder 60.

-   -   a. FIGS. 4 and 6 tend to show the increased efficiency obtained        by utilizing opposed shoulders 50-50 to direct macadam away from        the forward portion 50 a and third shoulder 50 b of the bit        block mounting portion. Also, as mentioned previously, and shown        in FIGS. 3 and 5, the pin 56 a is aligned with the slot 64 in        the shank of bit holder 60 to prevent rotation of the bit holder        60 in the bit block 20 when mounted therein. Additionally, FIG.        3 shows the accessibility of the shank 65 on bit holder 60        through the rear 54 of the bit block 20. Shown most clearly in        FIGS. 3-6, the forward facing surfaces of the bit holder 60 and        bit block 20, with the exception of leading surface 50 a for        strength of part reasons, all extend rearwardly and outwardly to        provide a smooth, efficient deflecting surface for material        separated from the macadam or concrete by the bit 16.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, a third embodiment of a bit holder isshown generally at 70. Bit holder 70 is similar to the bit holder 18 inthat it is a steel front bulbous type having a slotted shank. The steelcylindrical flange front 71 includes an annular steel face 72 similar tothe first embodiment. The bulbous frustoconical portion 73 extendsrearwardly beyond the cylindrical nose and includes a pair of notches74, 75 therein that provide tool access to the back of a bit for easingremoval of the bit from the bit holder.

At the rear of the bulbous frustoconical portion 73 is the cylindricalbase 75. In one important aspect of the present invention, the base 76includes a rectangular notch 77 that extends radially inwardly from theoutside of the circumference of cylindrical base 76 and is also incommunication with the back face 76 a of the cylindrical base. When thebit holder 70 is mounted in the bit block, such as 20, notch 77 willallow access of a tool therein to provide a prying method for removingthe bit holder from the bit block. This is especially important if, forsome reason, access to the back of the bit holder is not obtainable. Aprying tool positioned in notch 77 would provide for removal of the bitholder out of the bit block until after the upper shoulder 78 of shankportion 79 is free of the top of the bit block, thus easing removal ofthe bit holder from the bit block.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, a fourth embodiment of the bit holder ofthe present invention, generally indicated at 80 is a steel nosed bitholder similar to that shown in FIG. 1, i.e., a bulbous stylefrustoconical nose bit holder, with the exception that the notches 82,83 are round in outline rather than rectangular as shown in the firstembodiment 18. The frustoconical portion at the front of the bit holder80 includes the cylindrical nose 84, bulbous frustoconical portion 85and cylindrical base 86. Rearwardly of the base, the shank portion 87includes an upper shoulder 88 similar to that shown in the firstembodiment. However, the remainder of shank 87 differs from the shank 41of the first embodiment in two ways. First, instead of having a slotextending from the edge of upper shoulder 88 to the distal end 89 of theshank, the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a pair ofdiametrically opposed slots 90-90 a from the upper shoulder 88 to theforward edge of the distal end 89 such that the distal end 89 is stillannular in shape rather than C-shaped as in the first embodiment 18. Thesecond difference in the shank portion between the first embodiment andthe fourth embodiment, is that the lower shoulder portion 91 is movedforwardly on the shank to be at a position to bisect the opposed slots90-90 a. In this embodiment, the pair of opposed slots take awaystiffness from the annular shank such that the lower shoulder portions91 are resilient similar to the lower shoulder portion 42 a of the firstembodiment even though the distal end 89 of the shank is continuouslycircular or annular in shape. The press fit of the lower shoulder 91 inthe bore 52 of the bit block 20 is similar to that of the lower shoulder42 a of the bit holder 18 in that it is a greater interference fit thanthat found in typical male-female member press fits, thus providing forease of secure mountability of the bit holder 80 in the bore 52 of bitblock 20. As with the other embodiments, no nut or retainer is necessaryto hold the bit holder in the bit block. Also, pin 56 a fits in eitherof the slots 90-90 a.

Referring to FIG. 12, a tool for aiding removal of the bit holder 18from the bit block 20 is generally indicated at 95. Tool 95 includes anelongate bolt 98 having a hex head 96, a shank 100 that extends throughthe bore 36 (FIG. 1) of the bit holder 18 and out the distal end 43thereof where a hex head nut 99 may be turned on the threads 95 at thedistal end of the shank portion 100 of bolt 98. An enlarged radiallyextending flange 101 has a central bore 102 through which the bolt shank100 is passed prior to inserting the bolt through the bit holder bore 36(FIG. 1). The large flat surface 101 on the rearward side of annularflange 96 provides ample room for positioning the tool thereagainst orstriking a hammer thereto to remove the bit holder 18 from the bit block20 without needing a large amount of access to the rear of the bit block20 other than room to fit nut 99.

Referring to FIG. 13, a second embodiment of spacer or plunger,generally indicated at 105, performs the same function as spacer 17, iscylindrical in outline and slidingly fits in the central bore 106 of bitholder 107. Spacer of plunger 105 includes an elongate infernal slot 108extending mediate the front end 110 and rear cupped end 111 thereof. Aperpendicular bore 112 radially through the shank sidewall 113 secures apin 114 that extends into slot 108 to limit the movement of the spacerin the bore. An additional notch 115 in spacer 105 provides for removingthe spacer from the bit holder 107 by driving the pin into the notch.Unlike spacer 17, spacer 105 does not need a retainer 32 to keep itmounted in its respective bit holder bore. Thus, an improved roadmilling bit assembly spacer, bit holder and bit block have been shownand described together with three additional embodiments of the bitholder and a bit holder removing tool. The bit assembly in beingefficiently smooth and lacking in substantial annular discontinuitiesaround the bit provides an efficiency of use when the bit separateseither macadam or concrete and also provides for an efficient passage ofsuch material around the bit assembly that lessens wear on the assemblyand requires less power to drive the assembly through the macadam orconcrete while also providing greater bit assembly life and requiringless fuel per hour to drive the assembly than heretofore known bitassemblies.

While five differing embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat many changes and modifications may be made without departing fromthe true spirit and scope of the present invention. It is the intent ofthe appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications whichfall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1-38. (canceled)
 39. In an assembly for use in road milling, trenchingand mining equipment including a bit, bit holder and a bit block, saidbit being mountable in a first bore through said bit holder and said bitholder being mountable in a second bore through said bit block, said bitholder and bit block, in combination, comprising: a single piece bitholder structure including, a bit holder front portion and a generallycylindrical bit holder shank portion extending axially rearwardly fromsaid front portion defining an annular sidewall, an elongate slotradially through said sidewall extending axially from a distal end ofsaid shank and terminating between said distal end and said frontportion defining a C-shape portion of said shank, an outer surface ofsaid C-shape portion providing interference with said second bore onsaid bit block sufficient to maintain said bit holder on said bit blockduring use, and said generally cylindrical hollow shank portionincludes: a second elongate slot radially through said sidewallsubstantially opposite said shank from said first slot.
 40. Thecombination bit holder and bit block as defined in claim 39 wherein saidsecond elongate slot includes opposed terminating ends spatially withinthe bounds of said shank portion.
 41. The combination bit holder and bitblock as defined in claim 39 wherein a radially extending land forms atleast a portion of said shank side wall axially between said opposedslots sized to provide said interference fit.
 42. The bit holder asdefined in claim 29 wherein a pair of radial lands defined as beingbetween said pair of elongate slots resized to provide said interferencefit.